The Rapid Rise of Mobile eCommerce

By admin

May 1, 2016

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The Humble Beginnings

Not long ago, if a Web merchant wanted their site to look great on mobile phones, tablets, and Web browsers, it meant creating a separate template for each type of device. So, GreatWidgets.com would build one template for iPhone users, one for Blackberry users, and a third for Androids. As newer smartphones came to market, each template would need to be retooled for compatibility. It became nearly impossible to keep up.

What is responsive design and why should I care?

Enter “responsive design.” Responsive design means that your website can “see” each visitor’s screen size and adapt to it in real time. Adapting means more than growing or shrinking. It means that each page automatically reorganizes its content to provide the optimal view. Responsive design takes “device type and model” out of the picture and just considers screen size. Given this innovation, eCommerce merchants no longer need to worry about maintaining multiple versions of their website, and grueling compatibility testing without end.

Mobile Usage Statistics

Mobile Friendly Sites Convert Better

If your eCommerce website isn’t currently mobile friendly, you might be frustrating a significant percent of shoppers who are deciding whether or not to do business with you.

Over 20% of Google searches originate from a mobile device.

In 2012 mobile devices account for more than 50% of local searches

In US, 25% of Web users use their mobile device as their only connection

61% of customers have more favorable view of mobile-optimized websites

26% of all emails are opened on mobile phones, and 10.16% are opened on tablets.

Responsive Design is Google Friendly

According to Google’s Pierre Farr, Google prefers responsive websites over those that rely on multiple mobile templates. This is because having a single URL per page makes it easier for Google to properly index your website. Google’s updated indexing algorithm has accounted for responsive design and may actually give responsive sites a “relevance” boost.

Google also recommends that the first screen of mobile content loads in under 1 second and that the entire mobile page loads in under 2 seconds. This is difficult if not possible when loading a desktop-browser optimized website on a mobile device. When a mobile user has to wait for a page to load, it greatly increases the odds of a click-away.

Google’s Thinkinsights on Mobile has determined that if a mobile user isn’t happy with your webite, it’s 61% likely that they’ll leave. On the other hand, mobile users who have a positive experience are 67% more likely to stay, search, shop, and make a purchase. In summary, responsive design could give your eCommerce store the competitive advantage it needs.